Lost and Found Characters
by agent000
Summary: [ONESHOT]Ed and Al are lost characters, trying to find their creator. But how is one supposed to find where they belong when they don't know who they are, or what show they're from?


**_Hey, everyone! This is my first oneshot, so I hope that you like it. Most of my stories ideas can't be squeezed into one little chapter (little, heh, yeah right), but this one seemed to just work out nicely that way. Yes, the story's quite odd, but have you ever seen me write a normal story? Hehehe_**

**_Heh, I'm not really even sure where this story idea came from, unless it's from my strong desire to find my place in the world, since I feel so out of place much of the time. Heh, the way I write should give you a clue that I'm pretty out of place. I keep coming up with these crazy plots one right after another, and update at least one of them nearly every day! (That means that that's the way I think ona day-to-day basis. Yes indeed, I'm crazy by nature. Now you know the secret to my "genius" as some people seem to think it is. Hehehe...It's not quite genius, just insanity made manifest through writing.)_**

**_Anyway, I hope that you enjoy the story. Please leave me a review if you like it._**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist, no matter how much I wish I did. I'm just obsessed with it, but that doesn't mean I own it!_**

Edward stared at the ad once more. "Wanted, missing character, boy, age 5." He sighed. That couldn't possibly be him that they were searching for. He wasn't sure if he even had a place in the world, for that matter. Many characters never found their place in the world, though a life like that was miserable.

He picked up the ad and looked at it again. The character obviously belonged to a television show of a family. Maybe they were missing a teenage boy character. He might as well check it out. What was the worst that could happen? He could get thrown out again by the security guards, but that had already been done to him so many times, it didn't faze him anymore.

He stuffed the ad in his pocket and walked to the studio. He slipped past security, as he'd done a thousand times before, and walked up to the receptionist.

"Can I help you?" came a slightly annoyed voice from the receptionist.

"Uh…yeah," Edward began, "I just saw your ad for a missing character, and I was wondering if you were perchance missing one that matched my description."

The receptionist placed her hand on her forehead and sighed. "Please, not another one of you characters that is just looking for their place. We've found all our characters except for the little boy, and as soon as we find him, we'll start airing the show. We don't need you."

"But, perhaps I'm like…I don't know…some neighbor kid, or something," said Edward.

"Listen, I already told you that we're only missing one character, and it's not you. Now get out of here, or I'll have you thrown out on a Code 436."

Edward took the hint, and left. A Code 436 was a situation where the character was trying to take the part of a character that didn't match his description. A five-year-old boy certainly didn't match the description of a teenage boy. Edward sighed. He could tell that he'd been searching too long if he even knew what the codes meant. He thrust his hands into his pockets and walked towards the exit, hearing the receptionist say behind his back as he left, "He'll never amount to anything."

Edward walked along the street, kicking stray pebbles that had made their way onto the sidewalk. He sighed. Would he never find his place? He didn't even know his last name, if he had one, nor did he know whether he had any friends of family. He wished that whoever had created him would just hurry up and find him. Being a lost character was a miserable existence.

Laughter came billowing out of a large house as he passed by it. Edward looked up, and smiled. How he wished he could go in there. They were throwing a party for the characters that had found themselves, and characters that hadn't done so yet weren't allowed in. He wondered who the security guard was today though, as he knew everyone one of them, since he was always trying to break in. He decided to seek out the guard. He didn't feel the need to try to break in today, but he could certainly chat with the security guard, couldn't he?

The security guard was busy explaining himself and his orders, as he'd done a thousand times for Edward, to another boy.

"Please, just let me see the inside of the building, just for one minute," the boy begged.

"I can't do that, son; only characters that have found themselves are allowed past this door."

Edward came into view. The security guard looked up, and smiled. "Oh, Edward, hello. Not trying to break in today?" He chuckled.

A grin spread across Edward's face. This guy was his favorite of the security guards. "No, I decided to give you a break today. I was just coming to see what was new with you lately."

"Nothing much, I'm afraid, and you?"

Edward shrugged his shoulders. "Same ol'. I got kicked out of yet another studio today, like that's big news."

The security guard laughed. "You little trouble causer, you! I have to admit though that I admire your persistence. You're going to make a great character someday. You might even be protagonist material."

Edward laughed. "Heh, I'd even settle for guest star material, as long as I'm a found character rather than a lost one."

The security guard chuckled again, and then cast his glance down at the other boy that had been standing there the whole time. "Hey, Edward, have you ever considered rooming with another lost character? You could both cheer each other up when you're feeling down, and this kid's even close to your age."

Edward looked at the boy, who said nothing, and just stared. "Well," said Edward, putting his hands on his hips, "I'd always been afraid of rooming with another lost character because of the separation anxiety that would occur when one of us gets found."

"I'm sure that you're big enough to deal with that, Edward," said the security guard, "You're one of the bravest people I know. Besides, it could make all that time that you spend searching bearable for the two of you."

Edward shrugged. "Alright, alright, you've made your point! I'll get a room mate." Then, turning to the boy, he said, "Would you like to be my room mate? We are nearly the same age, after all."

The boy smiled. "Sure, I'd like that. Anyone who can become friends with a security guard is someone I want to know." Edward and the security guard laughed.

"Well, I'd better show you where I'm staying then," said Edward, who then gestured to the boy to follow him.

"Good luck to you both!" called the security guard. "I hope that I can let you both into the party soon!"

Ed waved to the man, and then continued walking with the boy. He turned his head and looked at the boy walking beside him. The boy was just a little shorter than he was, which Ed liked, since he didn't like being the shortest person around. He had messy brown hair, and eyes the color of smoke. He would make quite an interesting character once he was found.

"What's your name, by the way?" asked Edward, "Or do you know?"

"I know my first name," said the boy, "It's Alphonse, but you can call me Al."

Edward extended his hand toward Al. "I'm pleased to meet you, Al. I'm Edward." They shook hands and continued walking.

They eventually reached the place where Edward was staying, an old, abandoned building that was falling apart, which was better living quarters than most lost characters could even hope to pray for.

"Wow!" said Al, "You actually are protected from the elements!"

"Yeah, I was kind of lucky, I guess. Make yourself at home." Edward smiled at the boy running around the building excitedly, enjoying the LACK of fresh air and sunshine for once in his life. Edward chuckled. He had forgotten how precious having a roof over one's head was, having been here so long. He remembered how he used to have to sleep outside in the freezing rain on park benches.

"This is incredible!" exclaimed Al, "Even if we don't get found, we can still live fairly well here!"

"Don't jinx it," said Edward with a chuckle. "The intrigue of this place will wear off soon, and you'll start desperately wanting to know who you are again."

Al chuckled, and then said, "I understand, Brother."

"Brother? Did you just call me Brother?" asked Ed.

Al looked embarrassed. "I-I'm sorry, I guess it just slipped out. It just felt so…right…to call you Brother. I hope I didn't offend you."

Edward laughed. "How could you possibly have offended me by calling me Brother? I've always wanted a little brother like you, so I kind of liked it. I'm just afraid that you're going to have trouble breaking the habit when you get found if you call me that."

"But…you don't mind if I call you that?" asked Al.

"Not at all," said Edward, "I wouldn't mind having you call me that, if you don't think you'll have a problem after you're found."

"I don't think I'll have a problem…Brother!" Al laughed. "I just love being able to call someone that."

Ed smiled. "I love having someone call me that."

Over the next weeks, the two boys looked through all sorts of ads where people were looking for missing characters. Of course, they would always get kicked out of the studios, on account of a Code 436, or a Code 325, which meant that they simply weren't "the one", or a Code 244, which meant that they had tried to convince the staff to write an extra part to include them, somehow. People just didn't understand how desperate lost characters were.

One day, Ed was going through an old newspaper, cutting out all the ads for missing characters so that he could flip through them more easily. As he was flipping through then, he would periodically take one and wad it up, throw it into the fire, and announce, "Code 436." What he didn't notice, however, was that one of those Code 436 ads had another ad on the other side, but he never saw it, because he threw it into the fire.

Edward placed his head in his hands, and sighed. "What's the use, Al? We're never going to find ourselves. Why do we even bother?"

Al got up from his sitting position by the fire, walked over to Edward, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know it's tough, Brother, but we mustn't give up. It we keep trying, we might get found someday, but if we give up, we'll never get found."

Edward sighed again. "You're right, Al, as always. Of course, I'm starting to wonder if it's worth getting found, since I'll be separated from you."

"I understand, Brother," said Al, soothingly, I wonder the same thing sometimes, since I have grown quite fond of you, but we must always try to find out who we are."

Edward looked up at Al and smiled. If he didn't know any better, he could've sworn that Al really was his little brother. He seemed to always know the right things to say.

A couple weeks later, Ed and Al were making their way to yet another studio following a vague ad that asked for a boy, but didn't specify what age. They'd most likely get thrown out again, but at least they could say they tried.

They reached the studio, slipped past security, and made their way to the receptionist. "We're responding to this ad we found," said Edward, handing the clipping to the man. The man took one look at the clipped ad, then at the boys, and said, "It's a Code 325."

Ed an Al sighed, and then turned to leave. "Well," said Ed, "It was worth a shot. Thanks anyway."

"Wait!" said the man. Ed turned back around and faced him. "Did you ever respond to this ad?" The man handed Ed the same ad that he had thrown into the fire a couple weeks ago.

"I've seen this before," said Ed, "It's a Code 436."

"No, dummy, the one on the other side is the one I'm talking about. Apparently, they're still trying to find their two main characters, because they haven't responded yet."

"I didn't know there was another ad here," Ed said as he turned over the clipping to read the other side. "Missing: Protagonist and main supporting role characters, both teenage boy. Wanted to produce a show called 'FullMetal Alchemist.'"

Edward shrugged. "Well, what have we got to lose? At least it's not a Code 436." He handed the clipped ad back to the man and thanked him for his help.

"I'm just trying to help," said the man, "I hope to see you on TV soon." Edward smiled and waved goodbye, and then he and Al left the building.

"Okay, this is the last studio I'm going to today, Al," said Edward, "I'm exhausted."

"I'm tired too, Brother, but we have to keep trying."

They kept walking along the side of the road, passing both the rich and the poorer sides of town, and having to cross a lot of busy streets. This studio was all the way on the others side of town. Ed had wanted to turn back many a time, but Al kept pushing him onward, assuring him that it was "just a little further."

Finally, they arrived at the studio. They walked up the front steps like they always did to sneak past security, but the security guard was just locking the door. Edward begged the man to just let him into the building, just for a few minutes, but the man was firm. There were to be no interviews after closing, and they would just have to come back tomorrow.

"But it took us hours to walk this far!" exclaimed Ed.

"That's your problem, not mine," said the security guard. "If you want to be interviewed to have a chance of becoming a found character, you'll have to come back tomorrow, no 'buts' about it."

The man was unbending. Edward knew from experience that he couldn't win against a security guard, so he decided to just quit while he was still ahead. They would just have to come back tomorrow, though he hated the fact that they'd wasted all that time getting there, and would have to waste it all over again the next day.

"Brother," said Al, "We could just sleep outside this building tonight, so that we'll be here early in the morning. We've both had to deal with such things before, so I'm sure that we can handle it for one night."

Edward shrugged. "Okay, we'll sleep outside the studio tonight then. I hope it's not too cold tonight."

The boys found a place on the side of the building next to the trash cans where the eave of the roof hung over a bit. That way, they'd at least have a little protection if it rained. They settled down, leaning against each other to keep warm, and tried to fall asleep.

Al fell asleep quickly, but Ed was too busy worrying. Would they eventually find themselves? Could this studio be the place? Was it worth staying outside overnight for? Would he be separated from Al if either of them were found? He stifled back a sob so as not to wake Al. Al didn't need to become involved with his worries; he had enough of his own. Eventually, Ed grew tired, since even worriers get sleepy, so he fell asleep.

The next morning, a woman was taking out the trash, when she found the two sleeping boys. She dropped the trash bad she was carrying and ran back into the building. It was obvious that they were characters, not humans, and they were teenage boys as well. Could they be the ones they were looking for?

She soon returned with several strong people to carry the two boys inside the building, so that they could warm up. They wrapped warm blankets around them, and placed them near the heat.

Edward soon opened his eyes and was quite shocked to find where he was. This was the first time he had ever gotten into a studio without sneaking past the security guards, and they even got this lavish treatment to boot. He felt like he was in heaven.

"Oh, you're awake?" said the woman who had first spotted them. "Welcome to the studio." She extended her hand and shook hands with Edward. That was the first time he'd ever been welcomed to a studio.

"So, could you tell me a little about yourself?" asked the woman.

Edward shrugged. "There isn't really much to tell. My name is Edward, and I'm fifteen years old. My room mate here is Alphonse, and he's fourteen. We don't really know anything other than that about ourselves."

Ed and Al, the woman mouthed to herself, Ed and Al, could it be?

Al woke up just then, and rubbed his eyes. "Brother, where are we?"

"You're brothers?" the woman said excitedly.

Edward shook his head. "We don't know anything about our families. He just likes to call me that, and I enjoy having him call me by that name."

The woman was smiling wide, and tears were coming to her eyes. She jumped up and ran over to the receptionist's desk. She grabbed the intercom and said into it, "I need the boss to come to the lobby right away. It's a Code 501. Repeat, a Code 501."

Code 501? That was a code number that Edward was not familiar with. What was going on?

Soon a woman entered the room and asked frantically, "Where are they?" The woman who had found them pointed in their direction. The new woman shrieked and ran over to them. "Edward and Alphonse, is it really you?"

"Uh…yeah," said Ed, scratching his head, "Who are you?"

"I'm your creator," she said, "I've been wondering where you boys were for the longest time!"

"So…" said Ed, trying to take this all in at once, "…Does that mean…that we've been…found? Both of us?"

Their creator and several others practically shouted, "YES!" Ed and Al were too dumbfounded to say anything. They hadn't imagined that they'd ever quit being lost characters. It was especially amazing that they were found together! They wouldn't have to be separated!

The boys were quickly rushed into more suitable clothes than the rags they were wearing, and were soon sitting down at a table with their creator, drinking hot cocoa.

"You boy are named Edward and Alphonse Elric," their creator began, "And you're brothers." The boys gasped. They had apparently known inside that they were brothers all along, but they had never acknowledged it.

"People warned me about making you both so free-spirited, since they knew that you would likely get lost if that were the case, but I said, "I want my characters to have real human emotions. Being brothers, they'll take care of each other, and they'll eventually find their way back to me," said the creator.

"So," said Edward, "How do characters get lost, anyway?"

"If they are free-spirited, and wander away from their creator, they'll forget who they are, and get lost. I knew that that risk was there when I created you, but I wanted you to have the ability to choose to be with me or not, or to choose to come back if you got lost. Thankfully, you both chose to come back to me."

Edward cast his eyes down at his cocoa. "I'm sorry about that, I won't do it again. You have no idea how hard it was to find my way back here."

Their creator laughed. "Don't worry; once you've been through the experience of being lost once, it can't happen again." Edward smiled. He was glad about that.

Al piped up. "Does this mean that we can go to that party now?"

Their creator laughed. "Of course you can, Al. I just need to get you both your red slips to show the security guard as proof that you've been found." She got up from the table and was back in a moment with a red for each of them. "There, now go have fun. You deserve it after all the work you put into getting back here." Ed and Al thanked her, finished their cocoa, and then got up and left for the party. They'd been waiting for this day for a long time.

They arrived at the building where the part was always held, and walked up the security officer. "Well, hello, Edward, glad to see you again. What can I do for you today?"

"Oh…Perhaps let us in," said Edward with a tone of mischief.

"Now, Edward, you know I can't do that," said the security guard.

"Not even with these?" Ed and Al held up their red slips. The security guard's jaw dropped.

"You-You've been found?"

Edward nodded. "And you were right, I was the protagonist."

The man smiled and gave them both a huge hug. "Congratulations! Which show is it?"

"It's called FullMetal Alchemist," said Al, "We're both brothers."

"I'll make sure to watch that show as soon as it airs," said the security guard. He opened the door to the building, and the boys stepped inside. They were awestruck by all the fancy decorations and food dishes and everything else about the place.

The two enjoyed socializing a bit with the other found characters, as well as participating in the games they had and trying everything on the menu. Yes, this was heaven.

Finally, night came on, and the boys left for the studio. As they were walking back, Al asked, "So, Brother, was it worth all the trouble of getting found?"

"Absolutely," said Edward. "I got some answers, I get good treatment, I got some good food, and our creator is a sweet person. But, best of all, I have you as a brother."

"But I was your brother before we were found," said Al.

"True, but we didn't know it then," said Edward.

"You're right, we didn't." said Al.

Edward took in a breath of air. It seemed sweeter now, somehow. He turned and looked at his brother, who was also looking at him, which made them both chuckle. Yes, he realized, he, the prodigal son, had finally come home.

**_Hope that you liked the story. It sounded kind of like a parable, didn't it? I realized that after I finished writing the story. Heh, makes it unique, I guess. Hehe_**

**_Anyway, if you liked it, please review! I can't wait to hear your comments on this story, since I've never written like this before._**


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